Modern printed circuit boards (PCBs) have multiple metal layers sandwiched between layers of a dielectric material. Some of the metal layers are reserved for grounding, while others are reserved for signal transmission. The layers reserved for signal transmission include a thin metal layer, most of which is removed by etching, leaving only thin, narrow traces. The layers reserved for grounding may also include a thin metal layer, most of which remains intact. A plated through-hole is used to provide an electrical connection between a trace on one layer of the PCB and a trace on another layer. To prevent an electrical connection between the grounding layers and the vias, the grounding layer is removed in an area surrounding the via. These areas are known as via cutouts or antipads. Typically, large oval-shaped via cutouts, which remove all the metal between a pair of vias, are used to improve the electrical performance of a signal. The use of such large via cutouts on a grounding layer, however, may cause an overlap between a via cutout and a trace on an adjacent layer. This overlap may create an electrical interaction between the overlapping via cutout and trace, which is referred to as discontinuity. Such discontinuity negatively impacts the electrical performance of the signal transmission.